GB2289884A

GB2289884A - Stackable container

Info

Publication number: GB2289884A
Application number: GB9511183A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerhard Schafer
Original assignee: Fritz Schaefer GmbH
Current assignee: Fritz Schaefer GmbH
Priority date: 1994-06-03
Filing date: 1995-06-02
Publication date: 1995-12-06
Also published as: DE19518884A1; FR2721587A1; DE9409021U1; GB9511183D0

Abstract

A stackable container has a top opening and outwardly inclined side and end walls 3, 4 so that it can be stacked with similar containers in a nested fashion. The container has a lid in two sections 5, 6 hinged to opposite side walls, the hinges 7 being so arranged that they do not intrude into the opening at least when the lid is open so that the open lid sections can be folded back against the sides in the open position allowing them to be nested into a container below instead of protruding from the sides of the stack. <IMAGE>

Description

"Stackable Container" The invention relates to a container, particularly to a stackable storage and transport container having outwardly inclined side and end walls and also a lid in two parts which can be opened outwards by swinging about hinges.

Such storage and transport container boxes, which are made mainly of plastics and may be made with several steps, are known. Loaded containers or container boxes closed by the lid consisting of two halves may be stacked for transport one on top of the other; when they are transported empty, the stepped container bodies - after opening of the lid halves - may be nested due to their tapering shape by insertion of one into the other to save space. It is, however, disadvantageous and inconvenient that the lid halves, which hang down outwardly parallel to the container walls provided with the hinges, overlap the relevant walls of the container box below so that the stack has an outline resembling a fir-tree (fir-tree effect).

A similar disadvantageous stack outline is also a problem with the container known from EP 0 204 208, in which the lids cannot be pivoted about the hinge by as much as 270 but are made with a kind of stirrup hinges by means of which they may be swung over the outer edge of the container. The lid halves are displaced with respect to their closed position slightly through more than 900 and are then held by the stirrup hinges laterally of the container wall in an upwardly divergent position.

The aim of the invention is therefore to improve nesting of containers of the initially mentioned kind.

Accordingly the present invention provides a container having a top opening which is arranged to be stackable with similar containers in a nested arrangement, the container having outwardly inclined side and end walls and a lid in two sections which are hinged to the opposite side walls, the hinges being so arranged that the lid can be opened to a position in which the edges of the opening are not obstructed. Preferably the hinges project outwardly from the upper edges of the side walls or are sufficiently narrow to be housed within the thickness of the side walls.

In any case the arrangement is such that the hinges protrude outwardly rather than intruding into the opening at least when the lid is open.

Preferably the hinges overhang outwardly in a cantilevered fashion so as to allow the lid sections to hang down substantially parallel to the container walls when they have been opened out by 2700. This allows the lid sections to nest into the respective container below. The lid sections of the containers nested one in the other do not therefore project outwardly creating a stack outline resembling a fir-tree, but extend by their ends, which are situated inwards in the closed position and are the lower ends after opening, into the container situated below. This makes it possible to push several adjacent stacks against each other and so to save space without hindrance by projecting lids.

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the lid sections are offset or stepped. The offset may be provided advantageously on the ends of the lid sections which are the inner ends in the closed position, which are preferably offset upwards. Due to this offset, an recess with respect to the protruding hinge is obtained in the outwardly swung-out position of the lid sections; in addition the stack clearance is reduced and inner space acquired. The container does not project outwardly beyond the size of the pallet, so that there is no loss of space on the pallet. A further consequence of the offset is that the lid sections are in the thicker portions more stable and the lid may therefore better withstand the loading caused by stacking.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the claims and the following description in which one embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is explained, by way of example, in greater detail. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows, in partial cross-section, two stacked containers with closed lids; and Figure 2 shows, in partial cross-section, the containers according to Figure 1 with outwardly swung lids nested in each other.

A container 1 comprises a bottom 2, outwardly inclined side and end walls 3 and 4, and a lid formed by two lid sections 5, 6. The two containers 1 shown in Figure 1 are closed by their lid sections 5, 6 and are stacked one on top of the other. It will be understood that more than two shown containers may be stacked on top of each other. The lid sections 5, 6 are attached to the longitudinal walls 3 by hinges 7 so as to be swingable outwardly through about 2700. The hinges 7 are arranged so that they project outwardly with respect to the longitudinal walls 3. The ends 8 of the lid sections 5, 6 which are adjacent each other in the closed position of the lid, are provided with an offset 9 and are offset upwardly.

In order to save space during the transport of empty containers, the containers 1 with lid sections 5, 6 swung outwardly are nested in each other, as shown in Figure 2, such that the offset lid ends 8 are nested with their container in the container 1 below. This is enabled by the projecting hinges 7 which provide sufficient free space and ensure that the swung-out lid sections 5, 6 hang down substantially parallel to the longitudinal walls 3 which comprise the protruding hinges 7. The offset 9 of the lid halves 5, 6 is so arranged that it is situated in the region of the hinges 7 of the container 1 below and thus further assist the nesting of the offset lid ends 8.

Although in the embodiment shown the entire hinge mechanism is arranged to protrude over the side of the container it will be appreciated that it could be at least partly accommodated within the thickness of the side wall so as to protrude only when the lid is open, for example by means of a cranked cross-section.

Claims

1. A container having a top opening which is arranged to be stackable with similar containers in a nested arrangement, the container having outwardly inclined side and end walls and a lid in two sections which are hinged to the opposite side walls, the hinges being so arranged that the lid can be opened to a position in which the edges of the opening are not obstructed.

2. A container according to claim 1 in which the hinges project outwardly from the upper edges of the side walls at least in the open position.

3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the lid sections are provided with offset or stepped portions.

4. A container according to claim 3, characterised in that the ends of the lid sections which are the inwardly situated ends when the lid is closed, are offset upwardly.

5. A container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.